Thursday, February 5, 2009
Mark 1:16-20 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
URGENT BUSINESS
The business of sharing the good news of salvation in Christ is urgent. This is made especially clear to us when we see the way in which Jesus called His first disciples. When the Lord saw Simon (Peter) and Simon's brother Andrew throwing their nets into the lake, intent on landing a catch, He interrupted their work saying, "Follow me." Jesus' call communicated to them the urgency of the business at hand, for we are told that they left their nets and followed Him at once.
Again, when Christ moved on to approach James and John, we are told that He called them "without delay." Jesus was "on a mission" we would say. The good news of the forgiveness of sins had to get out into the world so that it could be believed and people could be saved. If nobody were to hear about Him, how were they to put their faith in Him? And how could they hear without preachers? Right away Jesus called His helpers. Right away they came. This was urgent business.
Are we struck with the same sense of urgency that Jesus was regarding His mission? An urgency to share the word of grace? An urgency to bring people to repent of their sins and believe that the Lord has died for them? An urgency to show others the beauty of God's love revealed in His Son -- and what that love means to them on a daily basis?
Sadly, none of us are as quick to carry out the ministry of the Lord as the need is urgent. We are not "about His business" as much as we ought to be. Things that are not nearly as important as spreading the good news of God become too important in our minds, and the work which Jesus found so urgent is sometimes not treated as such by us.
We need our Lord's help. We need His help to make us faithful and willing mouthpieces of His mercy; to make us eager and anxious to carry out His work of winning souls for Him in whatever way that might be accomplished through us. 